Our final steps & WHAT’S NEXT! (Post 8)

I have a huge update on our IVF journey and then I will explain WHAT’S NEXT as I know that is everyone’s next question. The thing with infertility/ivf/etc. is it teaches you SO much patience! Each step is a waiting game all over again and not to be taken lightly as each step is also HUGE news. I am going to go into detail on how these couple of important stages worked out for us and if you aren’t interested in some of the medical jargon, just skip on down to the following paragraph.

For a quick review, the days leading up to when I should show anywhere from 20-40 mature follicles from all the shots we were injecting each night, I only showed 4 maybeeee 5. The doctor asked us if we wanted to abandon the cycle and start over again with stronger meds to produce a lot more since our odds starting that low were… well… low. We decided to trust the Lord and those small fighters and just go for it. We had egg retrieval Saturday Feb. 10thwhere we successfully retrieved 4 eggs! We were ELATED to find out this news as it’s possible for no eggs to survive the retrieval process. The following day we found out of those 4 retrieved, THREE were successfully fertilized with my husbands natural sperm. The next stage are the embryos then hitting what they call “blast” stage 5 days later which is also when they freeze them. Imagine this, when you are conceiving naturally, after fertilization occurs, the embryo must continue growing for a handful of days as it travels through the canal to hit a full size in order to implant correctly. Ours were just doing this at the fertility clinic instead of inside me. YET AGAIN ALL THREE hit blast and were then frozen. This was HUGE! Before freezing, they take a small biopsy of the embryos and send off for genetic testing. This is to ensure that they are chromosomal balanced and a “proper” embryo that my body would accept. We found out today that TWO embryos are healthy!!!! AGAIN HUGE. We weren’t sure we would have any chance for ONE baby and now we have TWO chances!

So here are everyone’s questions, WHAT’S NEXT? When is transfer? Do they transfer both at the same time? SO, here are all your answers. Next stage is prepping my body/uterus for implant with injections starting up again soon. Let’s just say they don’t leave any chance for error and they help my body as much as they can to accept this embryo that we already put so much work into making. I had a “mock embryo transfer” today as well where they go in with a catheter into my uterus to make sure that the pathway to transfer the embryo, when the time comes, is clear. They also did a water sonogram, where they push water into the cavity to make sure there are no cysts that have developed since I have been on all these extra hormones. Although not the most comfortable of things to go through on a full bladder, BOTH were successful!

When the time comes, my doctor will transfer ONE embryo. Even if we had 10 healthy embryos he only does one at a time. For many reasons. A. twins are a higher risk pregnancy if they happen to both implant. B. Although transferring two increases your odds of becoming pregnant in general, your body is LESS LIKELY to accept both and MOST LIKELY to discard one. He doesn’t like to waste a perfectly healthy embryo. C. We only have two so we wouldn’t want all the extra stress of both in one cycle! Now, I can only speak for our case but he is confident in his odds of one at a time! IF it happens to not take the first try, we have another embryo to use as backup the following cycle. Our hearts desires are obviously for it to take and have a frozen embryo for our next child when that time comes and if we need it. So we are in a waiting period yet again!

TWO HEALTHY EMBRYOS!

I drove the whole way home (safely) worshiping God in thanksgiving. You see, we cannot only bow to our knees when we need something! A relationship with the good Lord also means completely giving credit where credit is due and thanking him in prayer! I learned this deeply a few years ago and made a habit to thank him when I catch myself in those moments where you’re really really happy. Whether it be when you laugh so hard you cry. Or perhaps when you’re surrounded by all your family. Or when you’re having a fun day with your friends. Or heck even when you are enjoying a good song on the radio, I whisper quietly thank you for this moment. I owed God a few thanks for a few moments today.

So the next question…. come on Stacy…tell us WHEN!?!

I’ve followed a couple infertility journeys and all of a sudden the updates stopped…. and I almost felt like I was kept hanging, even though it wasn’t my story. I definitely understand the many reasons why that would happen! As part of “going public” with our story, confiding in you with every step, WHILE ALSO in appreciation to your support and prayers, I wanted to write this update below.

We’re not telling anyone when! As much as I have loved sharing our story with you and empowering other women to keep strong faith in their own stories, we are taking these next few months to relax in our story privately and not have any added pressure of the timing of transfer OR the results. We are even keeping our families in the dark! We see it as a special time for Austin and I to enjoy together, just us. Although we have gracefully accepted our story, there’s a part of me that has always wished for the “typical pregnancy announcement surprise”, so this is our opportunity to gift that to ourselves! I hope you will continue to pray for us and don’t be afraid of asking how I am, just maybe don’t ask about the timing of it all because we aren’t going to tell you. Over the next few months, I will be doing everything in my power to prepare a cozy home for this embryo! Please know, I will still be your support and friend through this time!

Although I know it is not for everyone, it’s my soul to share and connect with others. I love connecting with people it has been a passion of mine since I was really little! My Mom always called me a social butterfly before I even started school. I just always wanted to be around others chatting, laughing and playing and that carried on my entire life. I truly think that God judges us on how we love others and part of that is being there for other people, communicating together with other people, sharing your stories, your testimonies, opening your heart for others and fellowship with your walk with the good Lord. I am SO thankful for this trial that has brought me so, SO much of that! I can truly say these past few months have grown us so much and we will always cherish them deeply as happy memories! From hearing from people from all walks of my life, some that I haven’t talked to in 10 plus years, to meeting complete strangers and bonding over our rite of passage immediately, to the very long drives where I have had family and friends call and talk to me for hours to catch up, laugh about life, share memories and repeat old stories! This is what life is really about!!!!! God has blessed us abundantly with the people in our life.

When I started short petite sweet, I wanted an avenue to write and to share because that’s always been my heart as I stated above. I wanted an avenue to be able to share my unique fashion style for all the people that always asked where I got my clothes and I wanted a place to explain how easy it is to decorate a table for each season! I wanted to do it all with a kind heart and “real-ness” that others could connect to and relate to. Let’s be honest, some of the social media stuff we follow create a false image of happiness, body image and real life. I wanted to break through that.

What I didn’t know last year when I started my blog, that it would be an avenue to share our infertility story and to glorify God SO MUCH more than fashion and decor!

17,300 people have read our infertility story on my blog alone. When I saw my statistics on here I simply couldn’t believe them! And no that is not because my fashion is THAT GREAT, it is because GOD IS THAT GREAT! I am so incredibly thankful for that. God leads you in many ways in your life, some ways louder than others. Sometimes you think its about one thing but ends up about something else. When he whispers to you, be obedient to that calling! You never know what he is truly calling you to do or what lives to touch. Thank you truly for your support through this, I think we cried our prayers on the mountain top so loud that God couldn’t ignore them! He saw a place for a miracle with thousands of viewers and even though our story is not over yet, I believe he showed us that miracle.

I want to explain something important to you. Through our story, we saw God working these wonderful big and small miracles. I know you wonder if he can do that to your story or in your life too. The answer is yes he can, my friend. Yes. He. Can. Have faith and stay close to him in the good and bad and he will work so many big and small miracles in your life as well!! “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (NIT Luke 18:27)

I do not know the next date of my update but I have strong faith it will be a pregnancy announcement…

A few of my favorite songs and lyrics that have helped us through this time….

Seasons by Hillsong
I can see the promise
I can see the future
You’re the God of seasons
I’m just in the winter
If all I know of harvest
Is that it’s worth my patienceThen if You’re not done workingGod I’m not done waiting

Make Room by Casting Crowns
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?
You can come as you are
But it may set you apartWhen you make room in your heartAnd trade your dreams for His glory

Red Sea Road by Ellie Holcomb
We will sing, to our souls
We won’t bury our hope
Where He leads us to go
There’s a red sea road
When we can’t, see the wayHe will part, the wavesAnd we’ll never walk aloneDown a red sea road

I wanted to also share my sweet photographers blog post on how our story impacted HER and what she is doing to now pay it forward to other struggling couples! Read it here!

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Comments

I love that you are sharing all of this! As an IVF alum (our daughter is almost eight months old!) I went public after I was pregnant but admire your courage in putting yourself out there along the way. And totes on not sharing your FET date. No one in our families knew our timing either.

I will be weirdly nitpicky and point out that the next step is not to implant embryos but to transfer them. The hope is that the embryo implants! Sorry, I just always want to use the correct word so the non-fertility- challenged understand just how many things have to go right!

It sounds like everything has gone great for y’all so far – good luck with your transfer process!

Our journeys are so similar and I also have a blog about mine! We did retrieval end of January, 5 fertilized, 3 made it to biopsy, and we have 1 perfect embryo after PGS. I had a mock transfer and a saline sonogram in the last month and everything was perfect with those. So excited for us being transfer buddies! Baby dust!